A/N: I thought this would the last chapter of this story but I may do one more. Olivia already knows about Amanda and Sonny. I don't own any of the characters except my own.
During the next several months, Olivia and Hank had been planning their wedding on top of closing and moving into their new place. All but the wedding happened while Noah was out of school for the summer. Hank wanted Olivia doing as little as possible, so her squad and friends, his former squad, the group from Station 51, Will, Maggie, Ben and Sharon. Erin took time off work to help and Olive came out some of that time to help as well. Even Dickie, Kathleen and Eli were helping out. Bernie joined them to keep Olivia and the kids company, while everyone else was working. With all the help they had, everything was done quickly.
Hank had already adopted Noah and they also added to the family. They had decided to foster another child. 4-year old Morgan had come into their lives and things were going well. She had Hank wrapped around her little finger. They had also gotten a rescue dog named Duke.
The summer had gone quickly and Noah was back in school and they had gotten Morgan into a Preschool nearby as well. Hank adopting Noah had been finalized prior to school starting. The Wheatleys and their associates were all sent to prison for their crimes. The wedding was scheduled for the 12th of November. Olivia had found a venue that would get them in and they had gotten Carisi to do the ceremony. Hank had arranged for them to spend their honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Pretty much the same people that helped them move were also going to be at the wedding.
Olivia had still been seeing Dr. Lindstrom regularly but not as often as she had been. He had noticed a big improvement in her in the last several months and she had seemed so much happier than she did a year and a half ago when she first started seeing him regularly again. She said she felt better about things with Elliot now out of the picture for good but she was glad his kids were still in her life. They had become close to Hank and even Bernie liked him. Dr. Lindstrom asked her if she thought Elliot was responsible for her unhappiness and she said yes. She was glad that she was finally able to get closure with him. She also knew it was because she and Hank had been in two different cities. She and Hank had worked hard to be where they were but she knew Elliot was going to try to ruin that for her and he almost had. She and Hank were now closer than ever and she had hoped that nothing would ever stand in the way of their happiness. He told her he was happy for her and hoped the two of them had a long and happy marriage. If she still needed to talk, he would be there for her as he had since what happened with William Lewis.
The wedding was approaching quickly. Olivia was mostly planning to be off after the wedding for the honeymoon as she was planning to take off for the Holidays but she wanted to take off the day of the wedding as well. It was Thursday afternoon and everyone was about ready to call it a day. Olivia had come out of her office.
"Ok, guys, I'm out of here soon."
"Ok. I will meet you, Melinda, Erin, Olive and the girls at your place to go to the Salon."
"Ok. Kat and Velasco, you're both planning to be at the wedding, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it, Captain."
"Yeah, me neither. I'm glad you included me."
"I wanted my entire squad there."
"When is everyone coming in?"
"Anytime now, I think. Daniel had a half day today and is off tomorrow, so he didn't have to miss school. Noah still has school tomorrow, so Hank was planning to take him after school today to get his hair cut. Olive said she was taking Daniel after school today before they headed to the airport."
"Who's all in the wedding?"
"Erin is my Maid of Honor, Olive, Amanda and Melinda are my Bridesmaids and Morgan, Jesse and Billie are Flower Girls. Antonio Dawson, who used to be in Hank's unit but is now in Puerto Rico, is his Best Man. Hank wasn't sure if he would come in for the wedding but he said he wouldn't miss this. If Antonio couldn't be here, Hank wanted Fin to be his Best Man and he has Adam Ruzek and Kevin Atwater as Groomsmen. If Fin was going to be the Best Man, he had talked about asking Munch, since they've become good friends. If Carisi wasn't doing the wedding, then he probably would have had him in it. Noah and Daniel are Ring Bearers. He's not that close to Jay to ask him to be in the wedding. Don Cragen is walking me down the aisle."
"I'm surprised you didn't ask Cabot, Novak or Platt to be in the wedding."
"I wanted to but we didn't want it to be that big. That's why Erin let them help plan my Shower. Everyone knows I didn't want a big deal for my Bachelorette Party but we're just going out for dinner as far as I know."
"It's your last night as a single woman. You don't wanna celebrate that?"
"After what we've been through these last 6+ months, no, not really. I just want to be married to Hank and I deserve this."
"I didn't say you didn't. No one is happier that you're doin' this than I am. Stabler never should have just assumed that you wanted to be with him just because he was all of a sudden widowed."
"He never once considered my feelings or asked me what I wanted. Didn't I say he was going to try to ruin things for me?"
"You did."
"This is why I prefer women. I've dated men like him, who seem to think everything has to be about them."
"He's always been that way."
"Oh, yeah. Liv, by the way, do you have a problem with Jaden comin' with us? Ken and Alejandro wanted to get away for the weekend and Teresa was gonna be gone, so they asked us to babysit. If it is, Phoebe will stay home."
"It's no problem at all. Lucy will be there, so there will be someone to wrangle all the kids. The Bodens are bringing their son Terrance but the Herrmanns are not bringing their kids. Most of theirs are teenagers or close to it anyway."
"Is everyone from the Fire Station comin'?"
"That's what they said. At least that's what Trudy said. Will, Maggie and Ben, Sharon Goodwin and Dr. Charles are coming as well."
"Is Amaro comin'?"
"He is but only by himself."
"He seemed real happy when we saw him last."
"He sure did. He said I looked happy too. I don't want anything to ruin this for me."
"Who else is comin' that we haven't seen in a while?"
"Huang will be here."
"That should be interesting with him and Dr. Charles."
"It should be."
Then Trudy came in with the other Chicago women.
"There's the bride to be."
"Here I am. Where are the guys?"
"They went to meet Hank at your condo."
"Meredith, thank you so much for coming."
"Thank you for inviting me. Alvin would have been so happy for Hank."
"Hank was hoping he would have had either Justin or Al by his side when he did this."
"Who is his Best Man?"
"Antonio Dawson."
"It'll be great to see Antonio."
"How's your ankle?"
"It's doing better. I plan on being extra cautious this winter with the ice and snow."
"Where are you going on your honeymoon?"
"Montego Bay, Jamaica. We decided on somewhere warm and Noah is jealous. We might consider taking everyone including Erin there for a family vacation. We would love to do that for Spring Break but the boys' breaks aren't at the same time unfortunately."
"Who's staying with them?"
"Erin. Lucy will be with Morgan when she isn't in school, so she will stay with both of them until Erin gets home. Lucy spends quite a bit of time with the kids even with Hank around but she also takes care of Amanda's girls. Erin made sure that she wouldn't have to be out of town during the time we were gone. She got back from being gone a few days ago and she'll have to go again once we get back. Thanksgiving is not too much after we're back."
"Who's having that?"
"Hank, Noah, Morgan and I are on our own. I didn't want to take almost another week off to go to Arizona almost right after coming back from our honeymoon. Olive felt the same way. We're planning to spend Christmas out there though. Amanda wanted to go to Atlanta with Carisi and the girls and Fin wanted some time off too. Kat and Velasco are the ones working but I'll mostly be here. Erin will be headed to California, I think, so she'll spend Thanksgiving with Olive and Daniel. We'll do a video chat with them, so we'll still be able to see them. I did extend an invitation to the Stabler kids and their grandma, since this is their first holiday without both of their parents. They haven't confirmed yet. I want them to know that I don't hold what their dad did against them. It's bad enough that he made threats to Hank the way he did."
"At least you and Hank seemed to come out of this stronger than you were before."
"We did and I couldn't be happier about it."
"What made that Stabler guy think you wanted to be with him?"
"I have no idea. He was having a hard time dealing with his wife's death and his kids wanted my help to talk to him. He didn't want our help but looked right at me and said, 'I love you' and then added, 'all' when he realized what he had said. I have told him multiple times that he suffered from PTSD but he kept telling me that I didn't know what I was talking about. Unfortunately, I do. I told him I did. One incident he knew about and the other one he didn't. He never even bothered to ask how things had gone for me in the 10 years he was gone. He said now that Kathy was gone, we were finally able to be together and nothing was going to stop us. Really? He couldn't be ready for another relationship that soon after losing Kathy. I don't care if the marriage wasn't happy all the time. You still need time to mourn that person, which Hank tried telling him. He told Hank he didn't know what he was talking about either. Olive met someone and has been seeing this guy for a few months now. He's widowed and has 2 kids. His daughter is around Noah's age and his son is Daniel's age. She invited them to the wedding. We've met them via video chat, so this will be the first time we're meeting them in person."
"It's hard. Mine and Alvin's marriage was not perfect by any means and we drifted farther apart after Lexi's death. He told me that he had had an affair while he was undercover and had a daughter, which put more of a strain on our relationship as well as his relationship with Lexi. I know Lexi's death opened old wounds for Hank because of what happened to Justin and honestly, I don't blame him for doing what he did. Alvin felt the same way about the guy that started the fire that killed Lexi but Hank stopped him from getting revenge."
"He did the same thing with me when my dad was murdered."
"He regrets a lot of what he has done in the past. He was glad that he and Matt Casey were able to put the past behind them. He knows he should have listened to Erin about Kevin Bingham in the first place and he completely blames himself for what happened to Al but Erin was the one that asked Al to help her."
"I knew when it happened that Alvin would have done anything for Hank but I needed to blame someone and I needed time to be angry. At least after Lexi's death, I had Alvin to lean on but after his death, I had no one."
"I tend to blame myself for a lot too. When my Sergeant was killed around the same time as Justin, I blamed myself because I should have stayed in that house with him. Yet I've had others tell me that I kept the kids safe. His dad was my Chief before Chief Garland and for the longest time he blamed me for his son's death. Hank told me that he had a hard time after Erin left for New York because she was the only family he had left. That was a year after he lost Justin and then a year later, he lost Al. After Elliot left, it took me a while to get over that but I accepted it and moved on. I wasn't necessarily welcoming to Rollins and Amaro. When Nick retired after an injury and moved to California, I told him I grew more in the 4 years I was with him than I did in the 12 years I worked with Elliot. I think I needed Elliot to go to be able to prove myself. I'm not the same person I was when he just up and left 10 years ago. Hank has said that he saw that with Jay as well. As much as he loves Erin, he noticed a big difference in him after she left."
"We miss Sarge but Jay is doing a great job so far."
"I agree. He recently took the Sergeant's exam, so he's waiting to hear back with that."
"Are you two still working together?"
"We do sometimes. Jay understands why Voight was the way he was with partners also being romantically involved."
"Adam and I probably work together more than we should too but I seem to be working with Kev a lot more too, which I am completely fine with."
"Did they ever bring someone in to replace Hank?"
"Not yet. Jay is trying to get someone though and hopefully that'll happen soon."
"I'm glad we brought Velasco in and I can stay here during cases."
"I'm glad to be here, Captain."
"Good."
"How are things going with Morgan?"
"Things are going great. She's adjusting well and has Hank wrapped around her little finger. He is so good with her. Noah loves being a big brother."
"Are you planning to adopt her?"
"We'd like to. I had to leave for a little while today because the Social Worker wanted to stop by. Her Social Worker is the same one Noah had. She didn't like me too much when I was fostering Noah because I was too dependent on other people to take care of him. This time, I have Hank and he's the one home with her. Lucy was there as was Trevor Langan. With Noah, I had to wait a year. This time, both Trevor and I have done our homework. I didn't want any more surprises like I had when Noah's grandmother showed up and eventually kidnapped him. So far, no one has come up in Morgan's family."
"Good luck with everything."
"Thanks. Well, ladies, are we ready to grab dinner?"
"Yes."
"Is everyone else meeting us?"
"As far as I know. Rollins and Kat, are you two joining us?"
"I might as well, since I need to eat and so do the girls."
"Kim, did you bring Makayla?"
"I did. She's with Adam for right now but I will get her and bring her with us to dinner. As soon as we got here she wanted to go to the pool. I'll call Adam and make sure she's ready."
Kim called Adam to tell him that she was going to pick Makayla up for dinner and then she and Amanda left to go get the girls. Everyone else left and headed to the restaurant. Eileen, Alex, Casey, Melinda, Olive, Morgan and Erin were all there when they got there.
"Mama!"
"Hey, you! Were you good for Daddy today?"
"Yes."
"Olive, you're here!"
"Yep. We just got in a little bit ago. Daniel is happy since he's with Papa and Noah but he's looking forward to seeing Grandma."
"Are you staying at the condo or at the hotel?"
"The hotel. Eric and the kids are flying out tomorrow."
"That's great."
"Daniel was concerned with being able to swim but the hotel has a pool too."
"Noah loves having access to a pool all the time. We have the outdoor pool when the weather is nice and I can work out before work, since we have the gym. We have the indoor parking, so that helps. If it snows a lot, I won't have to worry digging the SUV out. I also love the view we have. There is nothing better than sitting out on the terrace with a glass of wine after a long day at work, while Hank fixes dinner. We even have a table and chairs out there, so we can eat out there too. Noah had to switch schools but he was ok with that. I'm a little closer to the Precinct now."
"I haven't seen your new place."
"We can head there after dinner."
Everyone else arrived and then they were seated. They looked at the menus and had their order taken.
Meanwhile at the condo, Hank had the guys over there and the doorbell rang, so he went to answer it. It was Antonio.
"Hey."
"Hey, Hank."
"It's good to see you."
"You too. Congratulations!"
"Thanks and thanks for agreeing to be my Best Man."
"You're welcome. Gabby sends her congratulations as well."
"Tell her thanks."
"I will do that."
"Come on in."
"Thanks."
Antonio walked in and took his jacket off.
"Wow! This is nice."
"Thanks. We really like it."
"Hey, everyone."
"Hey, Antonio!"
Antonio went to hug everyone and was introduced to the guys he didn't know.
"Where's Casey?"
"He moved to Portland."
"Wait, what?"
"He became the guardian to the Darden boys, so he went out there for a while."
"Is Sylvie here?"
"She's here but the girls all went out for dinner. She's been having a hard time since Casey left. Does Gabby know about them?"
"She does. Sylvie wanted her to know and I know part of the reason Matt wasn't sure how to act on his feelings for Sylvie was because of Gabby. Both Gabby and I are fine with it."
"Is Gabby here too?"
"No but she sends her love to everyone."
"You wanna see the place?"
"Yeah, sure."
Hank took Antonio around and showed him the condo.
"Who is all in the wedding?"
"Besides you, Noah and Daniel, I have Fin, Ruzek and Atwater as Groomsmen. Olivia has Erin as her Maid of Honor, Olive, Amanda Rollins and Melinda Warner as Bridesmaids and Rollins' daughters Jesse and Billie and our foster daughter Morgan are the Flower Girls."
"I didn't know you two were adding on to the family."
"Olivia didn't want Noah to be an only child. The mother was raped and murdered by the boyfriend and he abused Morgan too. The father died before she was born. No one has come forward, so we're hopin' we can make it official before too long. Olivia had to wait a year with Noah. The Social Worker was here today."
"I remember when Gabby went through all that with Louie only to lose him to his real dad but she knew it was for the best. I can't get over how grown up the boys are."
"I know."
"This place is great. I love the view."
"So do we. Me and Noah were the ones that looked at the places since Olivia was off her ankle after her surgery. He loved it here and so did I. The indoor pool was the big selling point for him and the gym was a selling point for Olivia. She usually works out before work. She gets up and goes down to the gym before she takes a shower and heads to the Precinct."
"It looks like you've been workin' out too."
"Yeah, a bit. I'll usually go down after she leaves for work, Noah leaves for school and Morgan is in Preschool. If Morgan is in school, I go down to the gym and the pool by myself. If she's home, I won't spend as much time at the gym and I'll spend time with her at the pool."
"This stay at home dad thing looks good on you."
"Thanks. I want to be a better dad to her and Noah than I was to Justin."
They went into Noah's room.
"Wow! This is an awesome room! I like those bunk beds."
"He liked the bigger bed on the bottom and the smaller one on the top. He said that's what he wanted. We bought new furniture for the place and donated most of our old stuff instead of trying to combine stuff. I had my stuff in storage until we moved and I told Erin if she wanted anything, she could have it. Morgan came into our lives just as we were in the process of moving, so we went to get her some furniture."
"How many bedrooms?"
There are 6 but we only use 4 as bedrooms. Both Noah's bedroom and our bedroom have their own bathrooms and are the biggest rooms. Morgan has her room and then we have a guest bedroom. Everyone basically has their own bathroom since Morgan has the hall bathroom to herself. One of the bedrooms is my man cave and the other one is Olivia's office. This is definitely a lot bigger than my house."
"Is Noah good about cleaning up after himself?"
"Some days are better than others. How are the kids?"
"They're doin' good. They come see Gabby and me as often as they can and they're there quite often during the summer months."
"That's good. Did Laura ever get married?"
"She did. Diego is talkin' about wantin' to go to college in Florida to be closer to me. Eva wants to move down there too. They're old enough to make their own decisions."
"I'm glad you decided to be here."
"I am too. I wasn't sure how things were gonna go with everyone because of how I left things but I'm in a much better place than I was."
"I'm a lot happier too. Olivia and I went through a rough patch almost 2 years ago. She didn't want to make definite plans until I could commit to bein' here full-time but I was havin' trust issues with Halstead. If you were still around, I wouldn't have had a problem. I probably should have thought about puttin' my papers in after Noah was kidnapped or after what happened to Olinsky."
"After what happened with me when I killed that guy for hurtin' Eva, I saw what you went through with Justin and why you did what you did to Bingham. We do what we have to do to protect our kids. You know how bad I wanted to kill Pulpo for what happened with Diego."
"Yeah, I know. I decided that I was gonna put my papers in by the end of the year but after Olivia was in the accident almost 6 months ago and had surgery on her ankle, I knew I needed to be here. Halstead really stepped up when I was here takin' care of her."
"What happened?"
Hank ended up telling Antonio about Ed's suicide and Elliot coming back into Olivia's life after 10 years.
"Wow! He just assumed that she was gonna want to be in a relationship with him because his wife was dead?"
"Yep."
"That's just twisted."
"Olivia had a feeling that he was gonna try to cause problems for us and she was right. All that matters is that we came out of this stronger than ever and we're about to make it official."
Hank then showed him the rest of the place and then took him to show him the pools and gym before they headed back upstairs. Antonio grabbed some food and sat down
"New York life really suits you, Hank. You look happy."
"I am. I didn't think I would ever fall in love again after I lost Camille. I doubt I would be doin' this for just anyone."
"Even early on, I could tell how special Olivia was to you even if you didn't. You seemed a little hurt when she told you she was in a relationship with that Internal Affairs guy."
"In a way, I was but all I wanted was for her to be happy."
"Do you miss workin'?"
"Honestly, no. I love not havin' to get up during the middle of the night. Since her surgery, Olivia has cut back on being out in the field."
"That's how I always was too. I would only go out when I absolutely had to."
"So far, she's been really happy with her decision."
"Do you like bein' in charge, Halstead?"
"Someone has to keep Ruzek in line."
"I resent that."
"That used to be Al's job."
"Exactly. I miss him so damn much."
"We all do."
"I miss Sarge too."
"I'm glad someone besides Trudy does."
"We all do."
"Even me."
"I miss all of you too but I'm where I need to be."
"Voight said Burgess is a mom now."
"Yeah. Mak is a great kid. Kim and I are workin' on our relationship. Kev is the only one of us not in a relationship right now."
"I'm good with that though, Bro."
"So, Halstead, you and Upton?"
"Yep."
"How's your relationship with Lindsay?"
"Actually, pretty good. She's fine with my relationship with Hailey."
Everyone kept talking. Back at the restaurant, Olivia had gotten a phone call from Ms. Jackson. When she was done, she hung up."
"Liv, are you ok?"
"That was Ms. Jackson. That makes me so nervous."
"There's nothing to be nervous about. I specifically told her not to tell you what it was about. Mr. Langan knows about it as well and I told him not to say anything either. We can do it tomorrow morning or if you're up to it and you want Noah there, we can do it tonight. I have to be in Court until just before the wedding anyway.
"We don't have to wait a year like I did with Noah?"
"No. Ms. Jackson and I have both seen how well she has adjusted since she has been with you. I figured you might want to make tomorrow a double celebration."
"Let me call Hank."
"Of course."
Olivia called Hank.
"Hey, Babe."
"Hey. I got a call from Ms. Jackson and Judge Linden just confirmed it. We can do this tonight with Noah or tomorrow morning without him. She has to be in Court until just before the wedding. I guess Trevor already knows about it"
"Let me ask Noah."
"Ok."
Hank asked Noah and he said he wanted to be there.
"He wants to be there. I'll grab the boys and meet you there."
"I'll call you when we're leaving the restaurant."
"Ok."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Olivia hung up the phone.
"Noah wants to be there, so tonight."
"Ok. That's why I offered both times. How many other people are you bringing?"
"Just Erin, Olive and Daniel,"
"Ok. I'll head over there now."
"Ok. Thank you so much for this."
"You are very welcome."
Judge Linden left, while everyone else finished up. Olivia paid for everyone and then she, Erin, Olive and Morgan headed to the Courthouse. Everyone else headed to Hank and Olivia's. When they got there Hank was already there with Trevor and the boys. Olivia got Morgan out of her car seat and then they went over to Hank. Olivia kissed him and then he picked Morgan up after he hugged Olive. Olivia took his hand and then they all went to Judge Linden's Chambers, where Morgan officially became one of the family.
"Congratulations to you all, especially you, Miss Morgan."
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
"You are all very welcome. I will see you all at the wedding tomorrow."
They all left the Courthouse and headed to the Condo. When they arrived, everyone else was there. Olivia hugged Antonio when she saw him.
"Hank, Olivia, this place is beautiful."
"Thanks. We really love it."
"I can see why with two pools and the gym."
"Hank and I both use the gym and the kids love the pool."
"So, is Morgan a Voight now?"
"Yes, she is."
"Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
"Now the only thing left is to make you a Voight."
"Exactly. I never expected the adoption to be finalized prior to us getting married but Judge Linden said that we could make tomorrow a double celebration."
"I was actually my suggestion. She agreed and so did Ms. Jackson. After everything you've been through in the last 6 months or so, I thought you needed something good to happen along with your wedding. Consider it my wedding gift to you."
"Thank you, Trevor and you're right. I may not always say it but I appreciate all the help you have given me over the years and that includes when I was charged with a murder I didn't commit. You also played a huge part in me getting both of my kids."
"You're welcome. I think we've come a long way in 20 years."
"We have."
Olivia hugged Trevor and Hank shook his hand. Morgan started yawning.
"Maybe we should get you ready for bed and then you can come say goodnight to everyone."
"Ok."
"Noah, is your homework done?"
"Yes."
"You might want to consider getting ready for bed too, since you do have to get up for school."
"Ok."
"I'm going to go get Daniel to bed."
"Ok. Amanda and Melinda are working until noon."
"I should get the girls to bed too."
"Ok."
Amanda, Sonny and the girls left and then Olive and Daniel did too once they said goodnight to Hank, Olivia, Erin and the kids. The Bodens and Kim left too after Adam said goodnight to Mak. As they were leaving, both Nick and George got there.
"Sorry we're a little late."
"Oh, no problem. Honey, do you want to take her?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Come on, Pumpkin."
Hank took Morgan and went to get her ready for bed, while Noah went to get himself ready for bed.
"How are you, Olivia?"
"I'm doing a lot better than I was 6 months ago. That's for sure."
"That's good. The last time we spoke, it definitely sounded like you finally got the closure you needed from Elliot leaving a decade ago."
"I did. Actually, I've been more at peace since his death."
"Sometimes that's for the best."
"I agree. Dr. Daniel Charles, Chief of Psychiatry at Chicago Med."
"Dr. George Huang. I'm a former Special Agent and Forensic Psychiatrist with the FBI and I used to be a Profiler for SVU. I'm actually retired now."
"Nice."
"Well, Dan, now you have someone to talk to."
Both Will and Maggie started laughing.
"You're funny, Sharon."
Olivia introduced both George and Nick to everyone they didn't know. Noah came back Hank came back Morgan.
"I think Duke needs to go out."
"Ok. Come on."
Hank went to get Duke's leash and took him to the dog run, while Olivia introduced George to the kids. After they said goodnight to everyone, Erin went to tuck Noah in and Olivia went to tuck Morgan in. Olivia came back into the living room after she kissed Noah goodnight and sat down. Erin was with her.
"She won't go to sleep until Hank is back."
"When is the adoption final?"
"It was today."
"Wow! Congratulations!"
"Thanks."
Hank came back with Duke, took his leash off and went to kiss Morgan and Noah before coming back into the living room and sitting next to Olivia. He kissed her and put his arm around her.
"Who's performin' the wedding?"
"Carisi. He was planning to do Fin and Phoebe's wedding 6 months ago but they decided to hold off. Judges Donnelly and Linden are both going to be there and said they'd do the ceremony but Carisi wanted to do it. He's also taking pictures. I'm not exactly sure how he plans on doing the ceremony and taking pictures during the ceremony. Hank had actually considered having him in the wedding party."
"I told him I'd do them during the ceremony."
"Thanks, Trev."
"No problem."
"Are he and Rollins a thing?"
"They are. It's been quite obvious for a while that they've had feelings for each other but they finally got together at Fin's would be wedding. Amanda disclosed to me maybe a month ago and I really wasn't too surprised. Carisi is so good with the girls. He was beside himself when she was being held hostage by Frank Bucci about a year ago now."
"I'm happy for them and I'm happy for you and Voight too. That was obvious during the Yates thing. I didn't say this the last time I was around because I know I upset you with Burton but I'm proud of you and I was proud to be your partner for 4 years."
"Thank you. I appreciate that. Having Burton back in my life made me realize a few things about myself that I wasn't necessarily too proud of. He actually wanted more this time but I threatened him with Hank and flashed my engagement ring in his face. He's another one that comes back into my life and wants to get me into bed. Not only was that what Elliot wanted but he never once told me he was proud of me for everything I have accomplished in the last decade. I know I wasn't necessarily welcoming to you and Rollins at the beginning because that was right after he left but at least I know who my true friends are and I did grow more in the 4 years I was with you than the 12 years I was with him. He never once brought up William Lewis. He had to have known about it. Everyone from Chicago that's here had heard about it. He claims he was in Rome for maybe 4 years. I've known Hank for 7 years. I deeply regret comparing Hank to Elliot."
"Babe, you had every right to. You are one of the few people who can put me in my place and actually get away with it. I regret doin' a lot things that I've done but you have made me want to be a better person."
"Who's Burton?"
"He was my first serious boyfriend. Actually, we were engaged but my mother basically told him to stay away from me. I was 16 and he was in his 20's. At the time, I thought my mother was being a bitch but after seeing him again, I now realize why she did it."
"Because you were underage."
"Exactly. I see this every day with my job and I never put two and two together because at the time, I didn't know any better. I thought he loved me. We all do things when we're young and stupid. That was mine. I've been trying to be so honest with Hank about everything that I almost didn't know how to tell him. He knew something was bothering me and after the kids were in bed, we sat down and talked. I think my biggest fear was him never looking at me the same way again. He took it better than I expected him to but he wanted to go to Burton's hotel and beat him up. I told him he wasn't worth it. What happened, happened. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it and I have already talked to my therapist about it. As if this year couldn't get any shittier. Sometimes I wonder why I've been single for as long as I have. I think I have only been with two men who have respected me. Hank is one and as crazy as most of you thought I was for being involved with Ed, he was the other one. I saw another side to him that not too many others have seen. I get why he was the way he was with us though."
"We worked out our differences before I left. When you told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it. I don't get why you dated the guy if you had feelings for Voight but I guess everyone has different sides to them."
"I don't know that I could have married him but I cared for him and a part of me was a little jealous when I had found out he was married. That was right after Hank and I started having issues. Even with him dealing with his illness, he told me not to give up on my relationship with Hank if I really loved him. He said he knew I did, since I talked about him so much even when we were together. Pretty much ever since we met, Hank and I have mostly had a friends with benefits relationship. He stepped back when I was with Ed but he was still in my life. When Elliot came back into my life and basically blurted out that he loved me, I was trying to be honest with Hank about everything because we were working on our relationship. Hank told me that he would give me space to figure things out with Elliot if that's what I wanted. At that point, I knew Hank was the one I wanted. Elliot just didn't know how to take a hint. I'm not sure I could have told him about my relationship with Ed because he would have thought I was nuts. I didn't even want him to know about Hank because I knew he'd try to ruin things for me and I was right. There is no way in hell I would have been with him or his overinflated ego. He was never the man Hank is. He definitely was not the man he once was."
"I thought you would have ended up with Trevor."
"I agree with Alex."
"I probably could have done a lot worse than him. He's been a better friend to me than Elliot. He did after all help me get my kids even after being on the opposite side for years. He's a good guy."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Are we walkin' down the aisle in pairs?"
"Yes. Fin, you'll be with Olive, Kevin will be with Mel and Adam with Amanda."
"Goin' back up the aisle, I'm paired with Antonio."
"Exactly."
"I'm fine with that."
"Me too."
"What do you have planned for during the day tomorrow?"
"I'm off but Amanda and Mel still have to work. They are both working until noon and then we're going to the salon to get our hair nails done. Morgan is in Preschool until noon, so I'll pick her up and we'll probably stop for lunch somewhere. Unless we all want to meet for lunch and head to the salon from there."
"That works for me."
"I'm workin' until then too but that sounds like a plan."
"I'll text both Olive and Amanda tonight and see if that works them as well. Hank is taking Noah to school and then he'll check into the hotel. He's getting ready there and we're spending the night there tomorrow, since our flight isn't until Saturday morning."
"I'll come over here to get ready and bring my stuff for the week then."
"Ok, good. I'll need help zipping my dress anyway."
"Does that mean you'll need help unzipping it too? I can help with that later on."
"I'm sure you will."
Olivia started blushing and smacked Hank.
"I could stay at the hotel tonight if you want me to."
"I don't want you too."
"We'll help in any way we can if there is anything else you need."
"Thank you for the offer but I really don't think there is. The venue provides the bartender and the servers. Someone Erin works with knows someone who's a DJ."
"They definitely had a lot of options for food."
"We couldn't decide what we wanted, so we went with filet mignon, grilled chicken breast and salmon with baked potatoes and some kind of vegetable. For the kids, we chose pasta with or without sauce and chicken fingers with fries. We had some of each selection."
"Babe, you asked about Jaden, right?"
"Yeah. She said it was fine."
"What do you think he'd want to eat?"
"Probably the chicken fingers."
"Will there be a lot kids there?"
"I think there's 10 coming and half of them are in the wedding. Speaking of kids, how are the Cruzes doing with their new son?"
"Good. Joe is still trying to get used to the lack of sleep."
"What did they name him?"
"Brian Leon and they're calling him Otis."
"Gabby had heard that Cruz had gotten married from Sylvie when she called her."
"I meant to call and tell her about the baby but I've been a little preoccupied."
"I get it. Gabby and I are both happy for you and Matt and you'll find a way to make it work long-distance."
"We hoping we can make it work. I'm eventually planning to go see him and we talk as often as we can."
"Whenever Stella and I to get married, Matt is my Best Man."
"Who took over on Truck?"
"I did. I passed the Lieutenant's exam but there was nowhere to put me."
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks, Antonio."
"Gabby will be happy to hear that too."
"Meredith, did you see the condo?"
"I did. Very beautiful."
"Thanks. George, do you want to see it?"
"Of course."
Olivia took George around and showed him the condo, including the pools and other amenities. Then they went back.
"This is beautiful."
"Thanks. We really love it. This is actually the first place I have owned. Most of what Hank got for the sale of his house in Chicago went towards the mortgage. He gave Olive some money for Daniel and we put some away for Noah and Morgan as well. The people that bought his house offered more than he was asking for it."
Everyone got ready to leave and went home or to their hotel. After Hank and Olivia locked up, they went into their bedroom to get ready for bed. Olivia texted both Olive and Amanda. They ended up making love before they fell asleep.
The next morning, Hank got up first, put his robe on and went into the bathroom. He went to make sure the kids up and then he went back into the bedroom. He put some clothes on and started packing. Olivia woke up and checked her phone. Both Amanda and Olive replied and were fine with meeting for lunch first. She got out of bed, put her robe on and went into the bathroom. She came out of the bathroom and put some clothes on before getting back into bed.
"Today is the big day."
"Yep. I can't wait."
"Me neither."
Once Morgan was done in the bathroom, she came into Hank and Olivia's room and crawled into bed with Olivia. Noah was already in the shower.
"Hi Mama."
"Morning, Baby."
"Where's Daddy going?"
"He's packing for later. Daddy and I are leaving for our honeymoon tomorrow morning. Erin is staying with you and Noah."
"Oh."
Then Duke came in.
"I know, you wanna go out, don't you?"
"Woof!"
Hank went to get Duke's leash and then he took him out. Olivia got out of bed and she and Morgan went to the kitchen. Olivia filled up Duke's water bowl with fresh water, while Morgan filled up his food bowl.
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"Waffles."
Olivia started breakfast and the coffee and then Hank came back. Duke went right for his bowl and ate. Hank then started cooking the bacon and making Noah's lunch. By the time breakfast was ready, Noah was out of the shower and dressed.
"Morning."
"Morning, Sweetie."
They all sat down and ate breakfast. After Hank and Noah were done and Noah brushed his teeth, he said goodbye to Olivia and Morgan. Then Hank took him to school, while Olivia went to give Morgan a bath before Preschool. Hank had come back and was in their bedroom still packing. Once Morgan had had her bath, Olivia got her dressed. After she was ready to go, she kissed Hank and then Olivia took her to school. Olivia was back and Hank had his stuff by the door, including his and Noah's suits. She went into the bedroom and Hank was in the shower. She changed back into her robe and decided to join Hank in the shower. She took her robe off and opened the shower door.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
Olivia walked into the shower and shut the door.
"Something tells me I'm going to have to give Morgan another bath after Preschool. She got there and headed straight for the finger paints."
"That seems to be her favorite thing. She does that every day when I take her."
"I'm glad I got to take her today. I usually drop Noah off on my way to the Precinct and I don't see much of her until I get home unless you bring her to see me. I forgot to ask, does Noah's suit fit him ok?"
"Yeah."
"I know if you had your way, you'd be wearing your jeans, plaid shirt and leather jacket. That's a little too casual but I really didn't want you guys wearing tuxes or your uniforms. I wanted a wedding like we're having but I didn't want to wear something outrageous. I just wanted something simple."
"You'll be beautiful no matter what."
"Thank you."
Olivia kissed Hank and then they made love before they both finished up in the shower. They got out, dried off, put their robes on and headed into the bedroom. They ended up making love again before they both got dressed and Olivia dried her hair. After she was dressed, she packed her stuff, so Hank could take it with him when he went to the hotel. Lucy came over with Jesse and Billie and Olivia had invited her to join them for lunch. Olivia had texted everyone with where they were meeting. Hank left for the hotel at the same time Olivia left to pick Morgan up at Preschool. She made sure they knew that Lucy would be dropping her off and picking her up next week instead of Hank. She was happy that Morgan stayed clean and didn't need another bath. When they arrived at the restaurant, she, Lucy and the girls were the first ones there. Olive arrived next and she had her boyfriend's daughter Lily with her.
"Olivia, this is Lily. Lily, this is Olivia and Morgan. Olivia is marrying Daniel's grandpa. This is Lucy, who's Morgan and Noah's part-time nanny. This is Jesse and Billie Rollins."
"Hi. It's nice to meet all of you."
"You too, Lily. Was Hank interrogating Eric?"
"The 4 of them were planning to go to lunch together. I know Hank means well. He just wants to be sure that Eric is good to us. He is. Daniel took to him pretty quickly and both of his kids took to me pretty quickly as well."
"What happened to their mom?"
"She died shortly after Joel was born. She had complications and there wasn't much they could do. Lily doesn't remember her mom all that much, so the kids have that in common. I'm starting to love both of them like they were my own and Eric feels that way about Daniel too."
"Are the mother's parents still in the picture?"
"They are and we have met. We seem to get along pretty well and they like Daniel."
"Hank just wants to you to be happy but he wants to maintain a relationship with Daniel."
"He will always be a part of Daniel's life even if I eventually get married again. I want Daniel to have a dad."
"Hank completely gets that. I wanted that for Noah but I didn't want just anyone in Noah's life. To be honest, I think Hank was the only one I could see that happening with of the men I have dated. He and Ed got a long pretty well though. I doubt I would have even wanted Elliot in his life. He would never understand Noah's love for dance and would want him to get into activities that'll toughen him up. Hank was more supportive of that than I ever expected him to be and he couldn't be more proud of him. He said he would be proud of Noah no matter what. He feels the same way about both Morgan and Daniel as well."
"Has Morgan started dancing yet?"
"Not yet but Hank has taken her with to Noah's class, so she's watched. She's a little shy yet."
Everyone else arrived and then they went in. They got their table and had their order taken after they looked at the menu. After lunch, they headed to the salon to get their hair and nails done. By the time they were done at the salon, Hank had picked Noah up at school. Everyone went to get ready and then Amanda and the girls, Olive and Melinda went to Hank and Olivia's, since they were all going to the venue together. Olivia had come out of the bedroom.
"This is as good as it's going to get."
"You look gorgeous."
"Thanks."
Erin zipped Olivia's dress.
"Is your necklace, earrings and bracelet set from Hank?"
"It is."
"That is gorgeous."
"Thanks."
"Mama, you look like a princess."
"Aw, thank you, Baby. I guess it's the one time in my life that I get to feel like one. I went with comfortable shoes and not heels, since I'm still being a little cautious with my ankle. Erin, you're bringing Hank's SUV back here right?"
"Yep."
"How are you feelin', Liv?"
"I'm starting to get nervous."
"This is just a formality for the two of you anyway."
"Oh yeah, I know it is."
"Are you changing your name?"
"I am but I may keep it as Benson for work but I haven't officially decided what I'm doing yet. I have until I get back. I need to put Hank and Morgan on my insurance too. Hank actually has it from Chicago through the end of the year though."
There was a knock at the door, so Erin went to answer it. It was Don.
"Hello, ladies."
"Hey."
"Liv, you look absolutely gorgeous."
"Thank you."
"Are we ready?"
"I think so."
They all walked out and headed to the limo to head to the venue.
To be continued…